Page:The parochial history of Cornwall.djvu/95

Rh would not retract; wherefore he was by him committed to prison, scourged with the utmost severity that could be invented, and afterwards, by a special order, under the hand of Agricolaus, beheaded bv the common hangman, 15th Feb. anno Dom. 298, temp, Dioclesiani. The church celebrateth the festival of this famous saint, bishop, and martyr, February 3. The Council of Lyons, ann. Dom. 1244, under the Emperor Frederick and Pope Innocent the Fourth, amongst other things instituted certain new festivals for canonizing of saints; after which time, in the Inquisition but now mentioned, we shall find most of the names of our Cornish churches distinguished by the prefixed title of saint, viz. such person as the same when first consecrated was dedicated to (who before that time had been canonized by the church of Rome); though, as I hinted before, there is but one church or person named in Domesday Roll to whom is given the appellation of saint, about two hundred years before. In this church town of St. Blazey there is a public fair kept on the festival day of this saint, February 3, and the festivals of most other Cornish saints, to whose guardianship churches are dedicated, are solemnly kept yearly in other places.

Ro-sillian, in this parish, formerly the lands of Kellyow, is now the dwelling of Henry Scobell, Gent, brother to Mr. Scobell of St. Austell, before mentioned, who giveth the same arms as that family doth. In this parish also, not long since, lived Hugh Williams, Gent, attorney-at-law, youngest son of Richard Williams, of Trewithan in Probus, that married Robins and Frowick, and gave the same arms as that family doth; who at length, upon some discontent, with a rope or halter privately hanged or strangled himself to death in his own house (as was reported), though the coroner's inquest found it a chance only, tempore William III. Upon news of this fact of Mr. Williams, the uncha-